Apr 23, 2024
Seventeen agriculture students (picture from Decatur and Ringold Counties were able to become artificial insemination (A.I.) certified to breed beef cattle. This opportunity was made possible by some amazing local A.I. technicians who are willing to share their experience in order to train the students. These A.I. technicians include; Jon Rockhold, Ty Hunt, Daryn Yoder, Nate Pierschbacher, and Curt Widmer. Lamoni Livestock Auction, Jason Allen and Jared Miller, provide the facility and the cattle in order to support this project, and all the meals are provided through generous contributions from Alysha Van Laar of American State Bank, Decatur County Cattlemen and Ringold County Cattlemen. Agriculture instructors; Lacey Whitaker, Brandi Boyd, and Morgan Quick also make this certification possible by volunteering their time presenting the curriculum provided by Genex Cooperative. A special thanks to Ananias Swartzentruber and Bray Pierschbacher for assisting with the certification! Students from Central Decatur Community School that participated in this certification include; Grant Boyd ’23, River Hamaker ’23, Kale Rockhold ’24, Jamie Oesch ’24, and Wade Hill ’25 (pictured above). Many of these students plan to take the knowledge gained back to their family farms, and yet others hope to apply this knowledge to future careers in the veterinary and reproductive technology field. Thank you to everyone that makes this event a possibility!
